


but seas between us

by Diaphenia



Category: Superstore (TV)
Genre: F/M, New Year's Eve, Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-16 11:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13052667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Diaphenia/pseuds/Diaphenia
Summary: “Ever since Kirkwood went to twenty-four hours their shrink has shot up by like eight percent,” Amy said. She thought over all the things she’d rather do than stay up all night at Cloud 9, like electrocuting herself, or watching one of Jonah’s documentaries.





	but seas between us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [i_am_girlfriday](https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_am_girlfriday/gifts).



> happy Yuletide, i_am_girlfriday!

“I’m sure you’re all wondering why we’re having this spread generously paid for by corporate,” Jeff said, waving his hand towards the front table.

“Oooh, bagels without cream cheese and store-branded OJ,” Garrett said. “We are so blessed.”

“Are we getting raises?” Cheyenne asked. “Because I’m still trying to pay off my wedding.”

“You got cost-of-living raises last year,” Jeff said. 

“Yeah, my paycheck only went up seven dollars a week,” Mateo said. 

“That went straight to my baby,” Cheyenne said. “She’s like a sponge that steals your money.”’

“Ever since my car got repossessed, I’ve had to take the bus to work, but they are raising the Metro prices again,” Sandra said. 

Jeff clapped his hands together once. “Anyway, if everyone is done complaining. Good news! This store is about to switch to a twenty-four hour store format.”

“Ever since Kirkwood went to twenty-four hours their shrink has shot up by like eight percent,” Amy said. She thought over all the things she’d rather do than stay up all night at Cloud 9, like electrocuting herself, or watching one of Jonah’s documentaries. 

Jeff smiled tightly. “You are going to have to be aware of the potential for lost revenue and _counterbalance_ it with aggressively-comprehensive customer service.” 

“I think this could be a good thing,” Glenn said. “Think of all the people we can help who work unusual hours and can’t get to Cloud 9 when we’re open.”

“Who is working from six a.m. to midnight seven days a week?” Garrett asked, a scowl on his face.

Jonah put up a hand. “So are you hiring a new team to work the night hours?”

“Actually,” Jeff said, “this is going to provide this current team with an opportunity to make more money.”

Amy’s eyes went wide. “You want _us_ to work the night shift? I have a kid.”

“You have a teenager and 50-50 custody,” Dina said. “I have birds. They’re helpless.”

“I have three jobs,” Mateo said. 

“My availability does not include overnight shifts,” Jonah said. 

“Actually, due to the language in your contracts, you need open availability _to meet the store’s needs._ ” Jeff looked around. “And the store’s needs have changed.”

“The store needs us,” Glenn said.

“The store is not a sentient being,” Jonah said. “We, as people, should take priority over the company’s bottom line.”

“How long have you worked here?” Garrett asked. “Because I know you didn’t start yesterday.”

***

“I couldn’t sleep,” Amy said. “I just couldn’t look outside at the bright sunshine and sleep. I laid in my bed for over an hour, and I eventually I just got up to do dishes. It’s fine. I’m just going to rely on coffee and the bright lights to keep me awake.”

The lights dimmed. Jonah raised an eyebrow at her.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Amy said. “It’s fine. I’ll just sleep on a pile of coats.”

“Cloud 9 is saving money and the environment by only using every other light bulb for the overnight shift,” Glenn said. 

“That should make it easier for the customers to buy guns,” Amy said. 

“We cannot possibly be leaving the gun counter open all night,” Jonah said.

“Of course not,” Glenn said. “They’re going to have to pay for their guns up front.”

***

“Have you noticed that we barely even have any customers?” Jonah asked, three nights into their new overnight shifts. “We could each follow a single customer around as a personal concierge.”

“You want to stalk people?” Amy asked.

“That’s a great idea,” Dina said. “Hey lady, I’m going to help you now!” She took off in a light jog after a woman in a tracksuit. 

***

“Do you ever just, like, lose track of what day it is?” Amy asked Garret one night. It was possibly a Tuesday, but she wasn’t sure anymore. She tried to sleep when Emma was at school, which also coincided with most of the sunlight. It was cold and dark when she went to work, and just as cold and dark when she went home.

“Nah, it’s easy. I always drive past that bar on 13th? You know the one where we went for Justine’s birthday last year? Everything’s a little sticky.”

“Especially the bathroom.”

“Anyway, if I drive past it at ten o’clock, and the parking lot is full, it’s a Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday. If the lights are off, it’s a Monday. Tuesday night you can hear the salsa music. Thursdays and Sundays are a wash.”

“That’s a great plan. I pass about six bars on my way here.”

“You could also look at your phone.”

“It’s not the same!”

***

“So, how are you spending your Christmas?” Amy asked. 

“Being Jewish,” Jonah said. 

“Right.”

“It’s going to be the usual. Chinese food, a movie, possibly two movies.”

“This is going to be my first Christmas without Emma.” Amy paused. “Which is fine. We would usually celebrate with Adam’s family on the day of and my family on Christmas Eve.”

“Aren’t you working until close on Christmas Eve?”

“Yeah.” It was easier to just let Adam have her for both days, or at least that’s what Amy kept telling herself. She’d handed off presents to Adam to put under his tree, but unlike previous years when she’d done all the work, she’d only signed the tags _From: Mom_. Jonah would call that quiet resistance from emotional labor, but Amy thought of it as finally getting her due. “It’s fine.”

***

“Working the overnight shift on New Year’s Eve should be illegal,” Mateo said. 

“Listen, even when it wasn’t an overnight shift, I was usually the one working until close,” Amy said. “And it was the worst.”

“That’s a real downer of a lesson,” Jonah said, smiling at her. 

“At least we used to close at ten,” Amy said. “And there would still be people pounding on the front door, mad they couldn’t get in here.” She’d spent a lot of New Year’s Eves on her couch, passed out before midnight, while Adam watched the ball drop on TV and drank sparkling grape juice with Emma. 

Jonah nodded. “Before I worked here, I’d say there’s nothing someone needs that late at night. Now, I’m older, wiser.”

“If you’re so wise, why are always doing your hair like that?” Mateo asked. 

Jonah smoothed the side of his hair, changing nothing. That gel was in place forever. 

Amy stood up. “Is it depressing we have to work all night on the one night of the year everyone has parties to attend? Sure--”

“I get invited to parties all the time,” Cheyenne said. 

“But if we don’t work, who will? How will people get what they need when they need it?” Amy continued. 

“Amazon,” Garrett said. “Or any number of websites. Great for shut-ins.”

Amy ignored him. “Let’s join in the community of people working tonight who keep this world turning even as most people are celebrating.”

“We’re similar to doctors in this way.” Jonah stood up too. “And firepersons.”

“Except we’re selling junk to idiots, and helping no one,” Garrett said. 

People started drifting away. Amy sat back down.

“I thought it was an inspiring speech,” Jonah said. 

“No, it’s depressing to be here. We can just admit that.”

“But it doesn’t have to be.”

“It does, though. We’re stuck, sober and alone in this weird, dimly-lit hell-hole."

“We don’t have to stay sober.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. 

“Twist my arm, why don’t you?” She sighed. “It’s not about the booze. It’s that we’re taking one of the great holidays and spending it here.”

He stood up. “We might be stuck here, but we are going to have a great night! I’m going to see to it.” He strode off, purpose in his step.

Amy rolled her eyes and went to hunt down a scanner. She had prices to adjust. 

It was about ten minutes to midnight when Jonah appeared on her periphery, just past her customer, who was quizzing her on types of hair dryers. Amy, who hadn’t used a blow dryer in three years, recommended the Revlon. “I use it all the time,” she said, which was true if the topic was lipstick. 

“I just really need something that will change my life,” the customer said, shaking his head slightly so that water droplets fell on his coat. 

“Best way to change your life for under twenty dollars,” she told him, patting his arm lightly so he’d leave. 

He pushed the other blow dryer into her hands and wandered off in the direction of the cash registers. 

Jonah looked excited, like NPR was having another pledge drive. He pressed his hands together. “I have to show you something.”

“Is this another poem you wrote? Because the last one was terrible, frankly.”

He grabbed her hand, and she felt a little frisson down her spine. _Stop that_ , she told herself.

He half-dragged her to the back of the store, towards the freezer section. As he hurried past vegetables and shrink-wrapped pizzas, the freezer displays lit on and off. Right before they hit the eggs and butter, he whipped around. 

“You have to cover your eyes,” he said. 

She raised an eyebrow.

“I know you always say that I’m _too much_ , but I want you to know, I take that as a compliment. Often in life, there are people who value excitement and dedication to new ideas, but I find that it’s _those people_ who are--”

Amy shoved past him, towards whatever he was hiding. 

She stopped short. The cheese and milk aisle was transformed. Jonah had strung up a hundred strands of twinkling string lights. 

“I know you’ve had a tough year,” Jonah said, from somewhere behind her. “With your-- it’s been tough. I just wanted to remind you that you can find beauty in this world, so I did this. For you.”

She blinked, watching the light bounce off the plastic packaging. 

“This is so much,” she said, turning towards him. “You did this for me.”

“Well, yeah. You’re so important.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“I can’t remember the last time someone did something _for me_ ,” she said, taking a step towards him. She’d never actually rested on a Mother’s Day, always having to clean up after the breakfast-in-bed her child dutifully brought her. 

“It was nothing,” he said. “I just--”

Dimly, she heard the click of intercom, and Garrett’s voice. “Attention customers. We are three minutes from the countdown you are all waiting for, here in our store, preventing us from celebrating with our actual friends. If you would like to prove your sobriety by counting backwards, please meet by the registers before that special time of midnight.”

“Do you want to go up front?” he asked. “I hear Glenn got us that fizzy grape juice in Dixie cups.”

“Actually, I want to stay here.” 

He leaned forward, closing the gap between them. 

She remembered how she’d felt the moment before she’d kissed him; heavy and desperate and a little terrified. Kissing him hadn’t fixed those things, but it had felt good. Indulgent, even. She felt that heavy tug in her gut again. 

She closed her eyes. 

And then heard the alarm. 

***

“They say the problem was the those lights,” Glenn said. “They were part of the recall.”

“They were clearly marked in the bin. _RECALL_. I don’t know what idiot would use them, knowing how many house fires they caused. Right around Christmas, too. Real shame.” Dena shook her head. “There’s going to be a lot of lawsuits.”

Amy looked around the cold parking lot. There were a dozen fire trucks, sirens off but lights still going. The odd handful of customers were milling around, while an equal number of employees did too. Cheyenne, wrapped in a blanket and wearing a New Year’s crown, took a selfie with a fireman.

Amy pulled her own blanket tighter and went to find Jonah. 

“This was a real bust,” Jonah said. “We didn’t even get to count down.”

“At least you got to start a fire,” Amy said. “I’ve worked here for, ouch, seven times as long as you? And I never once set the store on fire.”

“I wasn’t specifically trying to-- Those bins in the return section are poorly labelled.” 

Amy watched as a car pulled up. The guy got out and tried to go into the store, only to be headed off by Dena, who started arguing with him. 

“It was beautiful,” Amy said. “And, no one’s ever set a fire for me before.”

Jonah laughed. “In some cultures, fires are thought of as cleansing experiences. You have your phoenixes rising from ashes, transforming into newer, better birds. Maybe this is the transformation we need.”

The fire chief, a gruff older gentleman who sort of looked like Brett, cleared them to re-enter the store. The fire had been contained and quashed, and most of the limited damage was due to the sprinklers rather than smoke or fire. There were a few cheers at the news, mostly from customers.

“Jeez, Jonah, if you were going to try to take out the store, you could have done a better job,” Mateo said.

The firepeople took to their trucks at the chief's signal, pulling one by one out of the parking lot. One truck, a large yellow one, clipped a car Amy was pretty sure Glenn’s on the way out. 

She watched the parade of trucks, which lit up the sky in a dazzling display of red and white lights bouncing off the clouds. 

“Two light shows for the price of one,” she said, mesmerized by the bright colors.

She heard Jonah sigh beside her. He waited until the trucks were gone before speaking to her. “I felt like we had a moment back there?” he said quietly. 

She turned to him. They were the only two left outside. “I felt that, too.”

“I would never want to intrude on your emotions in this fraught time, with your divorce and all the feelings and financial burdens that--”

She cut him off, kissing him until he finally stopped talking about her. He hummed appreciatively as she parted her lips. The blanket slipped off her as she pulled him in tighter. He started running his hands over her back, and it just made her want him closer. 

She broke their kiss.

“Was that ok?” Jonah said, concern flashing immediately in his eyes. 

“Yeah!” She looked around again, just to make sure no one was watching. The parking lot was empty of people, as it should be this time of night. “It was-- do you want to get out of here?”

“We’re on the clock.”

“Literally no one will notice.”

“It feels very much like the lesson here is that scheduling so many workers for an overnight shift is a waste of human resources, given the fact that two people could go missing for an hour.”

“Two hours, and they only scheduled so many of us to prevent shoplifting.”

“Has it worked?”

“Absolutely not. Shrink is up.” She shook her head, she kissed him again. He moaned this time, and she could feel him stir below his sensible khakis. She laughed, and he did too.


End file.
